Pages

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

LSC Roundup 2-9

Evans: 2011 class a solid one for NSU - Ben Johnson, Tahlequah Daily Press
Kenny Evans has had the opportunity to oversee three recruiting classes at Northeastern State. And the RiverHawks’ head coach offered no hesitation when talking about his most recent group of signees.

“I think it’s definitely one of the most talented groups in my three years of being the head coach here,” Evans said, talking about the 19 players that NSU signed during the national signing period, which began last week. “I think we did a really good job picking up some of the best talent here locally, as well as branching out to some new areas.”

In all, NSU signed a combined 36 players between midterm signees — players who signed in the fall — and players who signed in February. And with nearly 20 starters returning in 2011, Evans said his most recent class satisfies plenty of needs.

“We hit what we needed with 17 starters coming back,” said Evans, whose team went 6-5 overall and 5-1 in the Lone Star Conference North in 2010. “And with 90 players returning and with what we added with this signing class, we’re real excited.”

---------------------------------------------------A Winning Start
Ryan Schoonover drilled a solo home run on the second pitch of the game to give Central Oklahoma lead it would never relinquish and the Bronchos went on to topple Northwood 7-6 in the 2011 season opener here Tuesday.

---------------------------------------------------No. 27 Aggies Open Tennis Season with Win at Dallas Baptist, 5-4
DALLAS – The No. 27 Cameron Aggies (1-0) women’s tennis team didn’t let the winter storm completely ruin their trip to Dallas this weekend as they opened up the 2011 Spring competition season with a 5-4 win over Dallas Baptist.

LSC BASKETBALL
Last week’s major winter storm wreaked havoc on the Lone Star Conference basketball schedule. But teams played 21 games including some on Monday after having to postpone almost all the contests scheduled for February 2 due to poor conditions in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Just two teams - Central Oklahoma’s men and Tarleton State’s women - remain perfect in divisional play. UCO is 6-0, while Tarleton is 7-0.
The LSC men have a 175-132 overall record so far this season, including a 97-62 mark in the South Division and 78-70 in the North. In league crossover action, the South Division holds a 36-20 record over its North opponents including a flawless 7-0 record by West Texas A&M. In the NCAA South Central Region, the men’s teams are currently 25-12 combined versus Heartland Conference teams and 6-2 against the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).
The LSC women are 159-158 overall, with a 69-88 mark in the South and 90-70 in the North this season. In league crossover play the North has the advantage, 38-26, including a perfect 8-0 mark by Northeastern State over the South teams. The women’s teams are currently 18-22 combined versus Heartland Conference squads and 4-2 against the MIAA in the NCAA South Central Region.

CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE
All-session tickets are now available for the upcoming Lone Star Conference Basketball Championship at a discounted rate. All tickets purchased by the February 23 deadline will come with a $20 savings off the regular price as well as a free LSC Basketball Championship souvenir.
This year’s LSC Basketball Championship will be played March 2-6 in Bartlesville, Okla., for the fourth and final time. The top eight men’s and top eight women’s teams from the conference will combine to play 14 games over a five-day span, culminating with the women’s championship game on Saturday night, March 5, and the men’s championship contest on Sunday afternoon, March 6.
All-session tickets are $35 if purchased in advance. After Wednesday’s deadline for advance purchases, the price will be $55 for all-session tickets or $12 per session. Student prices will be $27 for all-session tickets or $7 per session. The tournament will be played in eight separate sessions, with two sessions per day on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, along with single sessions on both Friday and Sunday.
Fans can purchase tickets by contacting their local athletic department through Wednesday, Feb. 23. Also, tickets are available online at the LSC website (www.lonestarconference.org).

STAT LEADERS
In men’s games played last week, the LSC had one player score more than 30 points, 5 over the 20-point mark and six double-digit rebounders, while three recorded a double-double. Top performances included:
Points, Men: 31, Antwan Mullins, Kingsville at WTAMU
Rebounds, Men: 12, LaDonn Huckaby, ASU at ACU
Assists, Men: 7, Four players ;
Steals, Men: 5, Desmond Woodberry, ACU at ASU

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
NORTH MEN’S OFFENSIVE
Dauntae Williams, University of Central Oklahoma, SR, Guard, Missouri City, Texas, Missouri City HS
Williams had another tremendous all-around game to lead No. 9-ranked UCO to a 77-64 road win over Northeastern State Monday. The senior standout had game highs in both points (25) and rebounds (nine) while adding six assists, two steals and one blocked shot. Williams made 10-of-16 shots, including 9-of-12 in the second half when he scored 22 of his 25 points. NSU trailed just 59-55 with 7:22 left to play, but Williams scored 14 of UCO’s 18 points the rest of the way as the Bronchos pulled away for their 10th straight win.

SOUTH MEN’S OFFENSIVE
Antwan Mullins, Texas A&M University - Kingsville, SR, Guard, Katy, Texas, Cinco Ranch HS
Mullins was a one-man wrecking crew against West Texas A&M this week. In a home loss on Wednesday, he led the team with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field. He came back with a career high 31 points on the road to upset the No. 19 Buffaloes on Saturday. He went 9-of-13 from the field and 11-of-13 from the line. He made four free throws in the final nine seconds to account for the 77-73 win. It was the team’s first win in Canyon since the 2002-03 season. He scored 37.5 percent of the team’s points during the week.

NORTH WOMEN’S OFFENSIVE
Jasmine Wright, Northeastern State University, JR, Guard, Dallas, Texas, Lake Highlands HS
Wright was Northeastern State’s offensive powerhouse in Monday’s 63-45 win over Central Oklahoma with a game-high 16 points. The junior guard was 5-of-8 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc. She also dished out three assists and had two steals as the RiverHawks handed UCO their first LSC North loss of the year, which forged a tie atop the division standings.

NORTH WOMEN’S DEFENSIVE
Cristy Nitz, Northeastern State University, JR, Forward, Dewey, Okla., Dewey HS
Nitz was part of a stingy Northeastern State defense that limited its lone opponent last week to a dismal 15-of-62 shooting effort (.242). The RiverHawks stymied the opposition by holding the team to 6-of-33 shots in the first half and the team’s leading scorer to a 3-for-16 shooting performance from the floor. Nitz scored NSU’s first five points of the game, had eight rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals in 24 minutes of action as the RiverHawks improved to 17-2 overall and 6-1 in the LSC North.

SOUTH WOMEN’S OFFENSIVE
Camille Perkins, Angelo State University, SR, Guard, Groesbeck, Texas, Groesbeck HS
Perkins helped Angelo State to a regular season sweep of LSC rival Abilene Christian with a team-best 24.0 points per game average last week. The senior guard dished out five assists, pulled down seven rebounds and scored 20 points in the Rambelles 67-60 win over the Wildcats at the Junell Center Saturday. The Groesbeck, Texas native then tallied 28 points - 19 in the second half - to lift the Belles, 68-62, on the road Monday night. Perkins shot better than 50 percent from the field last week.

SOUTH WOMEN’S DEFENSIVE
Kiara Wright, Tarleton State University, FR, Center, Pittsburg, Texas, Pittsburg HS
Wright grabbed seven defensive rebounds and recorded a steal as part of her second double-double of the season. Besides scoring a career-high 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, Wright helped Tarleton hold Midwestern State to just 32.1 percent from the floor, its second lowest mark of the season. She also helped contribute to the TexAnns’ 52 points in the paint and guarded a pair of Mustang post players who went a combined 5-for-22 from the field.

UCO basketball moves up in poll
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Feb. 8) – Central Oklahoma went up one spot in the NABC/Division II Coaches’ Poll Tuesday, coming in No. 8 in the weekly poll.

The Bronchos have won 10 straight games to get to 20-2 on the year, reaching the 20-win plateau for a school-record fifth consecutive year. UCO collected 145 points in balloting of head coaches from around the country in the newest ranking.

Unbeaten West Liberty (W.Va.) remained atop the poll, followed by Bellarmine (Ky.), Findlay (Ohio), Alabama-Huntsville and Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.).

The Bronchos are one of just two Lone Star Conference teams in the poll, with Incarnate Word coming in 21st. UCO resumes LSC North Division play Wednesday at Texas A&M-Commerce.